{"id":154251,"date":"2025-08-19T15:06:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T14:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=154251"},"modified":"2025-08-19T15:06:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T14:06:27","slug":"how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/","title":{"rendered":"How to influence the unconscious specifier"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>When it comes to construction marketing, we often assume decisions are made based on logic, specification, and performance data. And to some extent, they are. But beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias<\/h2>\n<p>The construction sector is full of smart, experienced professionals making high-stakes decisions. But like all of us, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/mmc-news\/specifier-summit-2025-rethinking-materials-redefining-construction\/153691\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">specifiers, architects, contractors, and buyers<\/a> are influenced by cognitive shortcuts, also known as biases, that shape how they perceive brands, products, and risk.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding these unconscious behaviours can give construction marketers a crucial edge.<\/p>\n<h3>Why cognitive bias matters in construction<\/h3>\n<p>Most construction buying journeys are complex. They involve multiple decision-makers (the infamous DMU), long lead times, and products that must meet compliance and performance standards.<\/p>\n<p>But even in this seemingly rational space, emotion and instinct influence which products make it onto the shortlist, and which don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_154283\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-154283\" style=\"width: 696px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-154283 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-1024x621.jpg\" alt=\"business man hand working and laptop with on architectural project at construction site at desk in office\" width=\"696\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-1024x621.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-768x465.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-693x420.jpg 693w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-696x422.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-1068x647.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666-610x370.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-1447139666.jpg 1315w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-154283\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9nuttapong punna| iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Take this typical scenario: Two similar insulation products, both compliant, both with competitive pricing. One brand is known; the other isn&#8217;t. The specifier opts for the familiar name. Why? Familiarity bias.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding these moments of unconscious decision-making lets you position your brand not just to inform but to persuade.<\/p>\n<h3>5 key biases that influence construction decisions<\/h3>\n<h4>1. Authority bias<\/h4>\n<p>People tend to trust experts or established names\u2014even when the alternative might be better.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why it matters: If your product is new to market or challenger status, you&#8217;ll need to borrow authority &#8211; via third-party endorsements, technical accreditations, or industry awards.<\/li>\n<li>What to do: Highlight partnerships with respected referrers, industry bodies and inclusion in national frameworks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>2. Status quo bias<\/h4>\n<p>People prefer things to stay the same\u2014even if a new option is objectively better.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why it matters: In a sector where risk is tightly managed, switching products can feel unsafe.<\/li>\n<li>What to do: Emphasise continuity, compatibility, and low risk in your messaging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>3. Social proof<\/h4>\n<p>Decisions are influenced by what others are doing, especially when uncertainty is high.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why it matters: For specifiers juggling dozens of options, knowing a product was used in a high-profile project makes a big difference.<\/li>\n<li>What to do: Use case studies, testimonials, project logos, and peer-led CPD sessions to demonstrate relevance and trust.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>4. Anchoring bias<\/h4>\n<p>People rely heavily on the first piece of information they receive.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why it matters: If your product is introduced late in the spec journey, you may be fighting an uphill battle.<\/li>\n<li>What to do: Run top-of-funnel content, SEO, and early-stage visibility campaigns that insert your brand into the research phase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>5. Sunk cost fallacy<\/h4>\n<p>Once someone has invested time or effort in a decision, they\u2019re unlikely to change course, even if new info suggests they should.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why it matters: If you&#8217;re not the product they first considered, your messaging must make it effortless to switch.<\/li>\n<li>What to do: Offer comparison tools, switch guides, or design support to reduce perceived cost of change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>From psychology to pipeline: what this means for Mmarketing<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re in construction B2B marketing and you\u2019re still leading with just the facts, you\u2019re missing the moment.<\/p>\n<p>Specs and datasheets are necessary, but they don\u2019t drive brand preference, trust, or emotional engagement, especially in high-stakes procurement.<\/p>\n<p>The brands winning today are those that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Understand their audience\u2019s mental shortcuts<\/li>\n<li>Align messaging to reduce uncertainty<\/li>\n<li>Reframe decisions around confidence, not just compliance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Want to leverage buyer psychology in your strategy?<\/h3>\n<p>At BCM Agency, we help construction brands turn decision science into commercial advantage. If you\u2019re ready to align your marketing with how people really buy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcmagency.co.uk\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">let\u2019s talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-154056 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-1024x440.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-1024x440.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-768x330.png 768w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-1536x660.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-977x420.png 977w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-696x299.png 696w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-1068x459.png 1068w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo-610x262.png 610w, https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BCM-Content-powered-by-BCM-Logo.png 1866w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"mk-custom-module-container\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to construction marketing, we often assume decisions are made based on logic, specification, and performance data. And to some extent, they are. But beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":154282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[285],"tags":[173038,464,172727],"stakeholder_rel_tag":[172906],"contributor_rel_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-154251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hr-skills-news","8":"tag-construction-marketing","9":"tag-contributor-profile","10":"tag-featured","11":"stakeholder_rel_tag-bcm-agency"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to influence the unconscious specifier<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When it comes to construction marketing and specifiers, beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to influence the unconscious specifier\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it comes to construction marketing and specifiers, beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Planning, Building &amp; Construction Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-19T14:06:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1283\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"817\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Harriet Clough\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PBC_Today\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PBC_Today\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Harriet Clough\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/0beefb03e9cfaf5fa036d3ce55ada356\"},\"headline\":\"How to influence the unconscious specifier\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-19T14:06:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/\"},\"wordCount\":602,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Construction Marketing\",\"Contributor Profile\",\"Featured\"],\"articleSection\":[\"HR &amp; Skills News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/\",\"name\":\"How to influence the unconscious specifier\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-19T14:06:27+00:00\",\"description\":\"When it comes to construction marketing and specifiers, beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg\",\"width\":1283,\"height\":817,\"caption\":\"\u00a9Jacob Wackerhausen | iStock\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to influence the unconscious specifier\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Planning, Building &amp; Construction Today\",\"description\":\"The Latest Planning, Building &amp; Construction News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Planning, Building & Construction Today\",\"alternateName\":\"PBC Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Planning, Building & Construction Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/PBC_Today\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/0beefb03e9cfaf5fa036d3ce55ada356\",\"name\":\"Harriet Clough\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b0cfdd3163c72e81d453787c0a3e3e02f2919965d9b1bc8206dbd5dccd07966?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b0cfdd3163c72e81d453787c0a3e3e02f2919965d9b1bc8206dbd5dccd07966?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Harriet Clough\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/author\/harrietclough\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to influence the unconscious specifier","description":"When it comes to construction marketing and specifiers, beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to influence the unconscious specifier","og_description":"When it comes to construction marketing and specifiers, beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/","og_site_name":"Planning, Building &amp; Construction Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/","article_published_time":"2025-08-19T14:06:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1283,"height":817,"url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Harriet Clough","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@PBC_Today","twitter_site":"@PBC_Today","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/"},"author":{"name":"Harriet Clough","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/0beefb03e9cfaf5fa036d3ce55ada356"},"headline":"How to influence the unconscious specifier","datePublished":"2025-08-19T14:06:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/"},"wordCount":602,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg","keywords":["Construction Marketing","Contributor Profile","Featured"],"articleSection":["HR &amp; Skills News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/","name":"How to influence the unconscious specifier","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-19T14:06:27+00:00","description":"When it comes to construction marketing and specifiers, beneath that technical surface lies something far more powerful: human bias","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/iStock-2161812770.jpg","width":1283,"height":817,"caption":"\u00a9Jacob Wackerhausen | iStock"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/how-to-influence-the-unconscious-specifier\/154251\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to influence the unconscious specifier"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/","name":"Planning, Building &amp; Construction Today","description":"The Latest Planning, Building &amp; Construction News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization","name":"Planning, Building & Construction Today","alternateName":"PBC Today","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Planning, Building & Construction Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/","https:\/\/x.com\/PBC_Today"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/0beefb03e9cfaf5fa036d3ce55ada356","name":"Harriet Clough","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b0cfdd3163c72e81d453787c0a3e3e02f2919965d9b1bc8206dbd5dccd07966?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b0cfdd3163c72e81d453787c0a3e3e02f2919965d9b1bc8206dbd5dccd07966?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Harriet Clough"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk"],"url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/author\/harrietclough\/"}]}},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-14 22:22:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154251"},{"taxonomy":"stakeholder_rel_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stakeholder_rel_tag?post=154251"},{"taxonomy":"contributor_rel_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor_rel_tag?post=154251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}